The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that a lawsuit filed against rental chain Aaron’s alleges the company is collecting sensitive information and secretly taking webcam photos of customers.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by a Wyoming couple, contends that an alleged cyber-snooping component called PC Rental Agent was soldered or otherwise installed inside a Dell laptop they leased from Aaron’s.

Brad and Crystal Byrd say that when an Aaron’s manager came to their home last December to repossess the laptop, he showed the couple a photo, taken by the machine’s webcam, of the husband using the computer at home.

According to the suit, the couple said the manager told them that “he was not supposed to disclose that Aaron’s had the photograph.”

Brad Byrd told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “It feels like we were pretty much invaded, like somebody else was in our house… It’s a weird feeling, I can’t really describe it. I had to sit down for a minute after he showed me that picture.”

In a statement the company said: “Aaron’s respects its customers’ privacy and has not authorized any of its corporate stores to install software that can activate a customer’s webcam, capture screenshots or track keystrokes.”

According to the company, 13 percent of the Aaron’s sales and leasing revenue in 2010 came from computers. The company had record profits of $44.4 million in this year’s first quarter.

The Byrds are seeking unspecified damages and attorneys’ fees. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act allows for a penalty of $10,000, or $100 per day per violation, plus punitive damages and other costs, the lawsuit said.

Read more at AJC.com.
 

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